The Douglas-Morris Collection of Naval Medals

South Africa 1877-79, no clasp (J. R. Baker, Boatsn. H.M.S. “Euphrates”) good very fine

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Douglas-Morris Collection of Naval Medals.

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Collection

261 medals without clasp to the ship.
John Baker was born in Devonport on 17 April 1851. He joined the service as Boy 2nd Class aboard H.M.S. CAMELEON on 1 November 1865, being advanced to A.B. in January 1870 and paid off in June 1871. Whilst serving aboard H.M.S. VOLAGE from July 1874 he was advanced to P.O. 2nd class and 1st Class respectively in January 1875 and February 1876, ultimately promoted to Acting Boatswain R.N. on 26 December 1877. Appointed to serve as the Boatswain aboard H.M.S. EUPHRATES on 27 August 1878 until paid off in December 1881. He participated in further military action in his next seagoing vessel, H.M.S. MONARCH, when carrying out transports duties at Suez during October 1882 and whilst with the Naval Brigade ashore in February 1884, and when employed with the Nile Flotilla in October/November 1884 earning the Nile 1884-5 clasp to an undated Egypt medal. All these former deeds carried out as a Boatswain R.N. were to be of little avail to him because of a grave misdemeanour for which he was Court Martialled on 19 August 1885, when he was sentenced to forfeit two years seniority and to be dismissed from his ship (H.M.S. ORION) to join H.M.S. ORONTES. On 24 February 1892 he was again Court Martialled, with similar sentence whereby he lost a further two years seniority when dismissed from H.M.S. IMPERIEUSE. He was pensioned on 2 February 1899.